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The Best of Both Worlds Part 1
'' |image= |series= |production=40273-174 |producer(s)= |story= |script=Michael Piller |director=Cliff Bole |imdbref=tt0708785 |guests=Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien, Elizabeth Dennehy as Lt. Commander Shelby, George Murdock as Admiral J.P. Hanson, Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan, Majel Barrett as Computer Voice |previous_production=Transfigurations |next_production=The Best of Both Worlds Part 2 |episode=TNG C26 |airdate=18 June 1990 |previous_release=Transfigurations |next_release=The Best of Both Worlds Part 2 |story_date(s)=Stardates 43989.1-43998.5 |previous_story=Transfigurations |next_story=The Best of Both Worlds Part 2 }} =Summary= The Starship Enterprise responds to a distress call from a Federation colony and arrives to discover the colony gone. The Federation suspect the Borg — cybernetic humanoids that assimilate individuals into their hive mind. Starfleet Admiral Hanson arrives on Enterprise with Lt. Commander Shelby, an expert on the Borg, who assists the crew in determining the cause of the colony's disappearance. Hanson informs Captain Picard that Commander Riker has been offered the command of a starship and suggests that Riker take the position. Although there is tension between Riker and Shelby — who intends to take over his position of first officer - they confirm that the colony was assimilated by the Borg. Hanson advises Picard that another Federation vessel encountered a strange "cube-like" vessel before sending a distress call that ended abruptly. Enterprise moves to intercept and confronts a Borg cube. The Borg demand that Picard surrender himself, which he refuses. Although initially deterred by Enterprise‍ 's shield modulation, the Borg lock the vessel in a tractor beam and begin cutting open the hull. Shelby suggests randomly changing the frequency of the ship's phasers to prevent the Borg from adapting to the attack, which frees the vessel. The Enterprise escapes to a nebula, where Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge and Ensign Wesley Crusher adapt a technique suggested by Shelby to modify the deflector dish to fire a massive energy discharge capable of destroying the Borg cube. The Borg flush Enterprise from the nebula, board the ship, and abduct Picard. The Borg Cube moves at high warp speed towards Earth, with Enterprise in pursuit. Riker, now in command of the ship, prepares to join an away team to transport to the cube to rescue Picard, but Counselor Troi reminds him his place is now on the bridge. Shelby leads the away team onto the Borg cube, where they are ignored by the Borg drones. The team locate Picard's uniform and communicator and then destroy power nodes inside the cube, forcing it out of warp. As the team prepares to transport to Enterprise, they see an assimilated Picard. The Borg contact Enterprise, with Picard stating that he is "Locutus of Borg" and to prepare for assimilation. Riker orders Worf to fire the deflector dish. =Errors and Explanations= Plot Oversights # O'Brien must be evesdropping on the bridge. The Borg kidnap Picard, knocking out Riker and Worf. Riker comes too, and asks O'Brien if he can get a fix on the captain. O 'Brien knows what Riker is talking about, and says he cannot. The incident at Jouret IV could have prompted Starfleet to issue a standing order, requiring transporter chiefs to maintain a continual transporter lock on senior officers during certain situations. Changed Premises # During a meeting in Main Engineering, Wes stated that, in the Enterprise's last encounter with the Borg, the ship's best shot barely scratched the surface, despite the Borg ship suffering 20 percent damage. Most of the damage was to the surface of the Borg ship. Equipment Oddities # To bring the Borg ship out of warp, Data and Worf begin destroying power distribution nodes. Oddly enough, though the Borg can shield thenselves from attack, they seem unable to shield these vital areas. Even more surprising, they fail to adapt to the frequencies of the phasers held by Data and Worf until the pair begin to fire on the Borg themselves. One would think that the destruction of the power distribution nodes would give the Borg enough analysis time to calibrate their shields. Shielding the power nodes might make them too ineffecient, and the Borg may only be able to analyse phaser beams that directly interact with their individual shields. Nit Central # Chris Thomas on Sunday, November 07, 1999 - 8:28 am: Riker says he considered Worf and Data for first officer but puts Shelby in the position because he needs them at familiar post. Data is understandable because he's a Lieutenant Commander and the second officer. But Worf is only a lieutenant and this would mean a jump in two ranks. Are there no other lieutenant commanders on board? Or must it be a bridge officer? Phillip Culley on Thursday, November 25, 1999 - 6:02 pm: What about Geordi? He is a lieutenant commander, and has commanded the ship twice (Angel One, The Arsenal of Freedom) Ratbat on Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 7:44 am: Geordi probably wasn't considered because he might be a Lieutenant Commander by rank, but he's really an engineer by skill. # Fred on Sunday, January 02, 2000 - 3:47 pm: Why does Shelby tell DATA how to fire at the borg ship. He is at navagation (is he not) Worf is at tatical.. why didn't she tell worf? Nathan K. on Sunday, January 02, 2000 - 10:32 pm: No, Data is at Ops. Probably because he'd be the best at changing the phaser settings quickly. Also, maybe it is the Ops position and not tactical which is responsible for the power going into the phasers. # ScottN on Saturday, January 08, 2000 - 11:34 pm: Why doesn't Picard know that Riker has been offered the Melbourne? Isn't he the captain of this ship? Shouldn't he at least be notified if someone's trying to snap up his executive officer? Riker probably didn't want to worry Picard, who had enough to consider with the approaching Borg threat. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Monday, July 23, 2001 - 3:02 am: Shelby heads up a Tactical Division at Starfleet, so why is First Officer on a starship considered a step-up? ''LUIGI NOVI on Monday, July 23, 2001 - 11:20 pm:''Why wouldn't it be? Is it that odd to relish the idea of serving as first officer on the flagship? Perhaps she had starship duty, switched to Earth duty, and now want to switch back. Or pehaps she left her earlier starship assignment for some reason (the ship blew up and still hasn't been replaced or isn't going to be replaced, it's being decommissioned, etc.) and for whatever reason, she decided to take a stint at Starfleet Tactical. Perhaps she got sidetracked or persuaded by someone at Tactical and lured there, realized she liked it there, and only now wants to get back on a ship. =Notes= =Sources= Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation